1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved dental flossing apparatus. More particularly it relates to a flossing device and method which provides handles which splay to match the contour of the user's finger rendering the device easier and more comfortable to employ than conventional floss products. The comfort of the splayed finger engagement and a gustatory sensation during use, provide means to induce increased use and thereby encourage regular flossing by the user as part of an ongoing dental hygiene regime.
2. Prior Art
Virtually all dental health practitioners and professionals of the like recommend the use of dental floss for the removal of interdental plaque and particulate from between teeth and under the gum line. These are places that a toothbrush cannot reach and are common initiation sites for tooth decay and gum disease when not cleaned regularly and properly.
Conventional threadlike floss maintains many discouraging aspects to a new or ill-practiced user. It is often difficult to pass the round threadlike floss in between two adjacent teeth due to the resistance encountered by the tooth's side edges. Similarly, children, as well as many adults, find it hard to hold the distal ends of the floss which can painfully ‘strangle’ the fingers around which they are wrapped during use.
Furthermore, the conventional flossing regimen does not provide any initial or immediate positive reinforcement to the floss trainee other than of course any oral encouragement from an instructor. As a result, there is an inherent tendency of individuals, to reduce their flossing time and possibly halt any and all flossing regimens which the individual may have, with good intentions, initiated. Even in dedicated users having a flossing regimen, such a lack of encouragement or an inducement to continue, can be a resulting cause of reduced flossing over time. Attempts to solve some of these shortcomings and flaws have been attempted as is shown in prior art which include dissolvable components such as substrates and capsules for positive reinforcement.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,281,541 to Lorch, while a definite improvement in the realm of flossing, teaches dental floss comprised of a dissolving component formed of a planar flossing substrate with one or a plurality of apertures formed therein. About each aperture is a pair of edible substrate portions slightly larger than the aperture and joined together through the aperture in the substrate thereby securing it to the latter. In use the edible substrate that is flavored and/or impregnated with medicine, is dissolved or temporarily imparted onto the tooth giving the user a temporary flavor or visual stimulus providing positive reinforcement of the procedure. However, in some individuals, the engagement of the edible substrate dissolving component to the planar substrate may impart a difficulty in the insertion of the floss to translatabley engage in between two adjacent teeth. Surprisingly this is due to the added thickness of the initially blocking, not just dissolving, edible substrate. Further, individuals may find added difficulty in gripping the device similar to the ‘strangling’ problem associated with conventional floss as mentioned above. As such, there is a continuing and unmet need for an improved device that when employed for flossing, immediately provides an easy and comfortable means to do so, while concurrently freshening breath during flossing and increasing the effectiveness of such a flossing session. The device should be easy to grasp with any of the user's fingers without numerous wraps therearound as is required of floss dispensed from containers. It should provide finger-engageable and ingressible ends to not only assist in positioning the floss in the user's mouth, but also to aid in the user engaging in easy employment of the proper flossing techniques and procedures set forth by a dental professional. Further, the device should provide positive reinforcement such as a perceived health advantage or a gustatory inducement to employ, and continue to use floss in an ongoing manner to users.